(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adhesive tape cutting method for joining a supporting adhesive tape to a ring frame and a semiconductor wafer such that the ring frame holds the semiconductor wafer, and then cutting the adhesive tape in such a manner that a cutter blade travels along a contour of the ring frame, and an adhesive tape joining apparatus using the same. In particular, the present invention relates to a technique for improving adhesive tape cutting efficiency.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “wafer”) having a front face on which a pattern is formed is made thinner in thickness by back grinding. The wafer subjected to the back grinding is transported to a mount apparatus. In the mount apparatus, the wafer is joined to and held by a ring frame through a supporting adhesive tape. Herein, a disc-shaped cutter blade capable of rotating freely is pressed against the strip-shaped adhesive tape joined to the ring frame and the wafer positioned at a center of the ring frame; thus, the adhesive tape is cut along a contour of the ring frame (refer to JP-A 62-174940).
It is considered herein that the adhesive tape is cut in the conventional manner. In the case where the adhesive tape is cut by the cutter blade, first, a cutting edge of the cutter blade penetrates through the adhesive tape. Thereafter, the cutter blade travels in a state that the cutting edge thereof is pressed against a tape joined side of the ring frame. Consequently, the cutting edge of the cutter blade is susceptible to wear. This causes a problem that the cutter blade must be exchanged frequently because a service life thereof becomes short.
In the cutting of the adhesive tape, moreover, a notched groove is formed on the tape joined side of the ring frame by the contact with the cutting edge of the cutter blade. In a case that such a ring frame is reused, if an adhesive tape joined to the ring frame is cut by the cutter blade, the cutting edge of the cutter blade penetrates through the adhesive tape and, then, is fitted into the notched groove formed on the surface of the ring frame, so that the cutter blade travels on a pathway which is different from a preset traveling pathway. This causes a problem of a cutting failure that the adhesive tape cannot be cut along the contour of the ring frame because a cutting start position does not correspond with a cutting end position.